Faith
by Lizz94
Summary: Yuri is already thirty-five years old, his last visit to the demon world was twenty years ago. Yuri was not the one to enter the demon world for some time, but a fourteen years old girl with coal black hair and eyes kinda got sucked into it. A lot of old characters, the trouble a lot worse ... Read for a better summary the first few parts of the prologue!
1. Prologue

" _ **Faith"**_

 **Author's note: Dear readers, this is my first FanFiction, yeah :) I am quite hyped but nervous too. Good to know, for safety reasons (since I have a wild imagination), this story is rated M (mature) because of the planned action. The main character is one that I came up with, but she will closely be connected to Yuri, Conrad and the others. How? You just have to read my story ;) Let's get started…**

 **Oh, but first the disclaimer (out of respect for those awesome authors)!**

~ I do not own _Kyo Kara Maoh!_ ~

"Talking"

'Whispering'

' _Thoughts_ '

 _~Mysterious Voice~_

 **This story …**

Yuri is already thirty-five years old, his last visit to the demon world was sixteen years ago. After coming back to Earth some trouble occurred and the portal between both worlds was closed. Today was finally the first contact, but it was not a positive one. Yuri was not the one to enter the demon world, but a fourteen years old girl with coal black hair and eyes was forced to enter that world, using everything she had, not that it was a bad thing to happen though. She would get in a lot of trouble, including a lot of pain and political headaches, but with the help of Conrad and the others she would survive and stay strong until she was able to hug her family again. At least, we hope. This story will focus on the girl, but will have strong ties with Yuri, Conrad and the others. Rated M for safety reasons.

* * *

 **Prologue**

'Damn, this just had to happen to me, didn't it?!' the girl whispered as she ran across the docks. She couldn't stop, it would cost her life, or at least her freedom. She kept running as she heard the voices behind her.

Her day had started as a normal day: oversleeping, running to school, taking some exams and going shopping for grocery's after receiving her mother's message. Happily walking through the store and it didn't take long to find all the stuff she needed. Her dad would be coming home this weekend. He wasn't home often, but the time he was it wouldn't be boring for even a second. If she paid closer attention to her surroundings, she wouldn't have gotten into this mess. She would have noticed the danger ...

"Don't let that brat escape!" The yelling made her return to the moment. A group dressed in grey coats were drawing near. Their feet stamping on the ground, coming closer and closer to the girl. She was exhausted, running for at least an hour from the men.

"Pin her down!" One yelled as he tried to jump on her. Luckily for the girl, she was quite athletic, so she was able to dodge the big man. But luck was not by her side when another figure threw a knife. She growled in anger as the knife pierced deep into the back of her leg.

 _'No way I am getting caught,'_ she thought by herself as she pulled the knife from her left calf. 'Yikes! That hurts…' But she didn't stop her movement. With a quick move, she used the knife to make the closest man back away and dove into a nearby alley. Running as fast as she could, ignoring the pain and blood from her leg, she reached the end of the dock, only seeing the wide and open sea.

"There she is..." Said one of her attackers, coming from the alley. The girl looked left and right, but all her escape routes were clearly cut off. _'This day can't get any worse,'_ she thought tiredly.

"No way out, missy." The biggest one sauntered closer with a smirk. "Time to come along, your parents wouldn't want you to get hurt more than you already are."

'Right, the day isn't over yet,' the girl grumbled. Five times she thought it couldn't get any worse, and she had to take it back again. 'I really need to stop invoking Murphy's Law…'

The girl smiled while she stood her ground. She made sure to control her trembling, tired body as she spoke. "As if you care how hurt I am or will get, you probably like this situation." The other men laughed. The biggest and closest one took out a knife.

"Ready, missy?" he asked, while raising his knife.

 _'No way I can handle him,'_ she thought. She remembered her dads' advice as she touched her necklace, _'_ _d_ _o not overestimate yourself in an upcoming fight, do not be ashamed to retreat when you know you cannot possibly win!'_ The girl clenched her teeth. _'Fighting is no option, that I know dad, and running with this leg in a situation like this is also out of the question… What about-'_ But before she could finish her thoughts the big man attacked. The girl escaped the first blow and blocked the second one with the knife she was still holding, but the third strike hit her.

"Gah!" She yelped as she put more distance from her attacker. Blood was seeping out of a cut on her right shoulder. She couldn't do anything but look at the wound before she had to defend herself again. Strike after strike she defended and dodged, receiving some shallow cuts on her arms for her efforts. She also incurred a few wounds on her attacker, but all were shallow.

 _'This isn't gonna end well,'_ she thought as she retreated a bit further. _'My leg can't keep this pace up and I lost quite a lot of blood. I need to escape!'_ She backed further away to the sea, the only way that was free of obstacles. She looked over her shoulder. "What are you gonna do, girly?" the man asked. "There's no way you can escape, you can't swim away and we made sure to block every escape route, including the special one." The girl turned her head towards the man, her eyes full of surprise, turning soon into anger and fear.

"You're Mazoku." She fumed. "Do you even know who I am, who you are attacking!?"

The man snickered and answered "Of course, but do you think we wouldn't aim for you if you were not that special?" He looked back at his group and ordered "the scary thing". One of the man gave him a new weapon, a real long-sword. The man took position, ready to attack and whispered 'Last chance, getting badly hurt and coming with us or coming with us and we treat your wounds. Your choice, missy.'

She snapped. 'No way I am gonna choose either, but…' She was shaking, blood seeping out of her leg. Every part of her body was hurting, how could she escape? What was her best bet to survive, while keeping her freedom? Could she trust those men? Why was she even considering listening to them!? On the point of collapsing the girl suddenly heard a voice.

 _~ You must escape, but it will cost you. If you do not escape, hell awaits you and someone dear to you, but if you escape you will save more than you think. Use everything you have, be brave and force that door. Do not think but act now! ~_

And so, the girl did. She closed her eye for a moment, took a deep breath and smiled. Then she opened her eyes and faced the sea. With the last strength she had in her battered body, she leaped into the sea. As she dove under she concentrated with all her might on her necklace, the present she received from her dad. Images flew before her eyes as she lost consciousness. The last thing she heard was the angry voice of her big attacker shouting her name. "Damn you Lea Shibuya!"

* * *

 **Next chapter …**

Lea will find herself in trouble from the moment she arrives in the demon world. Every part of her body hurts. She doesn't have the strength to support herself in this situation. Is somebody going to save her, or will she have to survive this ordeal one her own? Lea is going to meet another big character of the story, but will it be a friend or foe?

 **Author's note: It's not as easy as I thought! Writing a story is one thing, writing in another language than my native language is another. Thankfully, I have found some beta readers.**

 _ **Firebirdnamedsam, thank you for proofreading my work!**_

 _I would appreciate it if you would support me with reviews that contain constructive criticism or simply compliments. And of course, I will take those reviews seriously! Thank you for reading._


	2. Chapter 1: Anybody!

" **Faith"**

 **Author's note: Dear readers, … You know, I do not know what to say except thank you for reading and reviewing! I just wanna write right now. Let's get started…**

 **Oh, but first the disclaimer (out of respect for those awesome authors)!**

~ I do not own _Kyo Kara Maoh!_ ~

"Talking"

'Whispering'

 _'Thoughts'_

 _~ Mysterious Voice ~_

~ Mysterious Voice ~

* * *

 **Chapter 1: "Anybody!"**

No sound. No thoughts. No smell, not tasting anything and nothing to see. She felt nothing. No pain, no fear. Everything had faded away together with her consciousness.

~ … -p! ~

' _Sound?'_

~ W-… up! ~

 _'Yeah, there was a sound.'_ She thought.

~ -mn, w-… up L-…! ~

 _'He sounds like something dangerous is happening.'_ Lea tried to open her eyes, but she still felt very drowsy.

~ LEA! ~

 _'Damn! What is it?!'_ Lea tried to move. Something was wrong. Why couldn't she breath?

~ You-are-drowning, wake up this instant! ~

The voice was harsher than the one from earlier that day. That yell was enough to make Lea realize her situation. With a shock, she opened her eyes.

Being back in reality was not fun in the least. Fighting to stay conscious, she couldn't breathe, the lack of air taking a toll on her. She had to find the surface before she would faint again! There was no time for thought as she fought against the wild water. Her body, heavy with all her winter clothes, was pulled deeper because of the weight. While being thrown from side to side by the water she was able to relieve herself from her overcoat, reducing her weight.

 _'I have to go up!'_ Lea fought against the power of the water. Finally, she was able to reach the surface, only to be pulled under water again by the current.

 _'Not happening!'_ Not giving up she was able to breach the surface again. It was very draining to fight against the current. Her injured leg was giving out. She had to grab something! Just as Lea was pulled down again she was thrown against a rock. If not for her reflexes, she would not be able to hold on to that rock. Pushing on, she pulled herself up and clamped onto the rock, just high enough to hold her head above the fast-moving water.

0000

 _'Alright, now I just have to catch my breath and reach the side...'_ As Lea was looking around her she felt it was beginning to look hopeless. She was in the middle of quite a big river. The current was too wild to risk anything on her own. Lea had to pull herself back up as she was getting swept below the water again, but no matter what, she was not letting go of that rock!

But even so, the water was cold. Lea was hurt, she was probably losing blood. Her powers were fading away. In the water, some objects impacted Lea's exhausted body without mercy.

'Come on … Just hold on.' Lea tried to not become hopeless as she whispered to herself. 'Do not give up, hold on … hold on...' She had to pull herself up again.

Her sight became blurry. The sound of the water faded away. Lea lost the power in her legs, her hands were giving out. The muddy water filled her mouth as she was pulled below the surface yet again.

 _'No.'_ Lea opened her eyes. _'Not giving up, I am sure someone ...'_ Lea gave a shout. "Someone!" She spits the mud out. "Anyone! Please!" Dizziness was taking over again. Her sight was gone. She did not taste the mud any more. The pain was incredible.

"There!" An unknown voice sounded through the darkness. Lea twitched.

"Do not give up young one!" Lea tightened her grip on the rock, pulling herself up for the last time and clamping to it like never before. "Hold on, I will save you!" Although her sight was still blurry, Lea saw in the corner of her eyes a man jumping into the water. Within seconds he had reached her.

The man used the rock to hold onto. He pulled Lea to his chest, at least her tried. She was not willing to let go of the rock just yet.

"Come on," the man placed his left arm around her waist, "I've got you."

0000

The man sounded really calm. The arm around her waist felt really strong. Lea wanted to let go of the rock, trust the man but… Her body was not listening, it would not move. Her breath was shallow as she started to panic. _'No there is someone here to help and I can't even let go of that stupid rock!'_

0000

The man noticed her panic. There was no time, staying any longer in the river would be very dangerous. Forcing the girl was no option.

"Come on, just take a deep breath." He told her. He lifted her body a little higher, enabling her to breathe without the water hindering her. She looked at his face, doing as he told her.

 _'That is a good start,'_ the man thought, _'She is at least able to and willing to listen.'_ "Now, slowly let go of the rock. Yeah, like that." The man was encouraging. It looked like she was nearly ready to let go when a warning sounded from the shore.

Lea looked over the shoulder of the man and gasped. A big tree was drifting ridiculously fast towards the two. There was no way they could get away in time!

The man looked at the girl. The fear in her face was everything he needed to know about what was coming. "Trust me!" He looked into Lea her black eyes. It did not even take a second when she let go of the rock, trusting in the power of those words and his eyes. The man covered her head with his other arm as they dove under water.

Struggling to get to the surface again, the man noticed something more terrifying than the tree trunk they had just dodged. The dull roar of a waterfall was dangerously close. Already worrying about that danger, he would not have noticed their way out if it was not for the girl shouting, "Rope!"

The man on the shore just threw them the end of the rope. Lea caught it and was not planning to let go. The man with her quickly gripped the rope to and pulled Lea's face close to his. "Hold on to me, do not let go! We will get out of this."

Lea did as he told, not doubting him and trusting him fully. Clamping to him and squinting her eyes as she felt the pain in her body becoming harder to bear. It took her some time to notice the hands that pulled her out of the water.

As Lea was laying on her back, she was not planning to even try to move. She was awfully aware how extensive the damage to her body was. She wanted to sleep already, to not feel the cold and the pain. Lea was tired, all the power was drained from her body. _'Those men will understand it, right?'_ She thought, hoping to be permitted to sleep.

"Little girl?" Someone lightly slapped her cheeks. "You cannot sleep just yet." Lea acted as if she was unconscious, hoping the men would let her sleep for a bit already. "I am sure you can hear me pretty lady." The slaps on Lea her cheek made her feel irritated. _'As if I'm not hurting enough already.'_ Lea was becoming angry, her drowsiness fading away. She growled frustrated as she opened her eyes.

The drenched man gave her a little smile. The man had short, brown hair. His eyes were brown and he looked quite muscular. He was wearing some kind of uniform and a sword was placed on his hip.

'He is quite handsome.' The smile became bigger. Lea her eyes became bigger as she realized what had happened. _'Did I just say that out-loud!?'_ Quickly she looked away. On her other side, a few meters away there was another man, the one who had thrown the rope. He was rummaging in some packsaddles and took out two coats and a little package. He gave a brown coat to the drenched man and took the black coat with him as he kneeled down near Lea.

As Lea observed this man she noticed they gave somewhat the same feeling, but they looked quite different. This man was quite slim, looked a bit younger than the other and had orange coloured hair. He looked with sharp and observant eyes at Lea.

In order to not look too weak Lea tried to sit up. Not a good idea. As Lea yelped the drenched man made her lie down again. "Let me quickly examine you a bit." He said as he scanned her body for injuries. Lea wanted to object, not too happy about him looking at her intently but she could not. She was just too tired to argue.

Both man came to the same conclusion, the girl was hurt quite badly. After applying some first aid, with the materials out of the package, they put the black coat carefully around the girl. Looking at the girls eyes they also knew she needed medical attention, and fast. The light in her eyes were disappearing as she was beginning to lose conscious. The man with the brown eyes gently took the girl in his arms and lifted her up. She hissed, but did not fight back. "We need a place to take care of her, do you know a place close to here Yozak?" The man with the orange hair nodded and took Lea for a while from the other man as he mounted his horse. After mounting he stretched his arms and took Lea from Yozak. Yozak quickly mounted his horse and led the way.

The drowsiness and the rocking from the horse quickly became too much for Lea. She was able to just mutter one question to her savior, 'What is your name?' Her eyesight was becoming blurry. The sounds were yet again disappearing. The warmth and smell from the man were comforting.

The last she remembers was how the man wrapped his arm a little tighter around her, answering her inquiry, "My name? I am called Conrad, Conrad Weller."

* * *

 **Next chapter …**

Lea will be dreaming while Conrad is taking care of her battered body, sensing something strange. After Lea wakes up, they will talk. In this conversation, they will find some answers, but a lot of questions will be left unanswered as Yozak comes to get them with a serious look in his eyes. What is going to happen this time? Will Lea be able to handle it?

 **Author's note: This chapter has become a tad longer than expected. But Conrad (and of course Yozak) have taken the stage, yeah!**

 _ **Firebirdnamedsam, thank you for proofreading my work!**_

 _I would appreciate it if you would support me with reviews that contain constructive criticism or simply compliments. And of course, I will take those reviews seriously! Thank you for reading!_


	3. Chapter 2: His daughter

**"Faith"**

 **Author's note: Last time I wrote a lot! Let's see if I can do this time the same.**

 **Oh, but first the disclaimer (out of respect for those awesome authors)!**

~ I do not own _Kyo Kara Maoh!_ ~

"Talking"

'Whispering'

 _'Thoughts'_

 _~ Mysterious Voice ~_

~ Mysterious Voice ~

* * *

 **Chapter 2: "His daughter"**

 _'Why did all of this happen?'_ Lea looks down.

 _'Is that… me?'_ As Lea looks down, she sees herself leaving a certain store.

' _'This… Ah, now I remember! I was doing some shopping and then...'_

Lea was skipping when she was leaving the grocery store. Her friend was laughing as she walked past her.

"Don't act like a child, Lea!" Lea turned on her toes and gave her friend a big smile. "Kathlyn, I am still a child; the child of my parents." She gave her a wink. Kathlyn sighed.

"By the way Kath, don't you have to go home?" Lea looked at her cellphone. "It is already past four." Kathlyn looked at her wristwatch and gasped. She said goodbye and ran towards her house. Lea smiled at the back of her running friend. _'Her brothers will be happy to see her. I wish I had a sibling.'_ Lea looked at her phone. _'I still have some time before mom comes home. Let's take a detour.'_

As Lea was walking she thought about the stories her father always told her, stories about Shin Makoku, the demon world. He would tell her about his first time in that world and his adventures with Murata and the others. The stories about the little princess, Greta. _'She is kinda like a sister for me, isn't she?'_ Lea smiled by the thought and touched her necklace.

As Lea was continuing on her path she arrived at the park. She dumped her backpack with her school supplies and the groceries on a bench and walked toward a big tree. She took out her little note book out of her pocket as she sat down, with her back leaning against the tree. Carefully, she flipped between the pages as she studied the names she had to learn for one of her exams.

While concentrating on the names she did not notice the eyes watching her from the distance. 'Ami … no, Amanominakanoe argh … Now step by step, A-ma-no-mi-na-ka-nu-shi Nokami, yes! That's it.' She murmured as she was trying to make sense of all the symbols.

Some more eyes gathered. The sounds of birds disappeared. Still, Lea did not notice it as she continued. 'Izanagi and Izanami, that's quite simple! They are known as a pair.'

The eyes came closer, no animal was left. The wind became silent as nature tried to avoid getting involved in the upcoming trouble.

 _'Hmm?'_ Lea did not move. _'Something is approaching … something covered in darkness?'_ Lea did not try to look up as she scanned the park around her with four of her senses.

 _'The air tastes poisoned. As if I am not allowed to breath.'_

 _'It is too quiet. Like no life is allowed to exist.'_

 _'A rotten smell. Like dead approaching.'_

 _'My body is screaming out, I have to move and fast!'_ Without thinking twice, allowing her body to act on instinct, she jumped away from the tree. Something sharp scratched the surface of her neck as she started running. An angry shout echoed. "Don't let her escape!"

The group of men gave chase. Some men chose another direction, so they could cut off Lea's escape route to the city. While running away, Lea did not think what she could do at that moment, no, she was angry at herself for not noticing jackasses like that approaching her without knowing it!

Lea looked back at her pursuers, diving into a hole in the fence towards the docks. As she hoped to find some hiding space she already saw her pursuers closing in again. "Damn it all!"

* * *

While taking care of some first aid Conrad had the chance to observe Lea, whose name he still did not know. She had long, black hair and a slim posture. Even though her body was badly injured she was able to look him in the eyes and keep observant of her surroundings when he was trying to rescue her. Her eyes gave him a strong impression, especially when he asked her to trust him. It looked as if her black eyes became purple at that moment. 'Nah,' he murmured, 'can't be.'

He examined her shoulder, making sure the dressing was not too tight or too loose. After he was sure it was alright, he continued by bandaging some smaller wounds on her arms.

Conrad let his eyes return to Lea's leg he had already treated. Something sharp had pierced her leg, cutting her muscle and probably damaging some nerves. She also lost a lot of blood, not to mention the impact the unclean water would have on her wounds. _'All those wounds … Who would hurt a young lady like this?'_

Lea blinked her eyes. Darkness faded away as she noticed her back was feeling quite nice. Something soft was covering her body. She saw a figure besides her bed. It didn't take long to recognize him. 'Conrad.'

Conrad nearly jumped of his chair. He turned his face towards Lea and saw her face as she tried to give him a smile. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

'Weak, also I have a sore throat.' Conrad nodded and poured a glass of water. With the greatest care, he lifted Lea a bit, giving her the chance to drink. After finishing the drink, he gently set her down.

"So," Conrad said, "I need to know who you are. I do know you are not from here." He looked at Lea her clothes. "Let us start with the question of who you are." Lea nodded and introduced herself, "My name is Lea, Lea Shibuya. You know of my father the Maoh."

"Shibuya?" Repeated Conrad. "You mean, you have ties with Yuri Shibuya?" Lea chuckled as she answered. "Yeah, very close ties. As I said, he is my father."

"Father… wait… wai-wait, what?!" He looked shocked at Lea. Her black hair, her black eyes, her slim body, she knew about him being the Maoh of Shin Makoku and even… She even had Julia's necklace! She did resemble Yuri. _'But, how? Just two years have passed since his last visit.'_ He thought.

Lea saw the confusion in Conrad his face. Was it really uncommon for her dad to have a child within all the years that had passed? _'Wait a second,'_ she thought, _'what if time between both worlds had been messed up again? Just like the stories dad told me.'_ "Conrad, how much time has passed between my dad his last visit and my arrival?"

"Two years." He answered. "Why do you..." Lea's face silenced him. She was shocked. It took Conrad just a few seconds to realize what she had found out. "How long has it been for Yuri then?" Lea answered with a whispering voice. 'Twenty years.'

The pair looked at each other. Conrad felt a lot of things he did not want to feel. Had he missed all the important things of Yuri's life? He missed him getting a girlfriend, marrying and the birth of his child? 'What a godfather I am.' He whispered. Lea gave him a little tug on his jacket.

"You could not do anything about it, something messed up the flow of time between the worlds. If the portal had not been closed by some unknown power..." Lea tried to desperately lift his mood.

Conrad gave her a light pat on the head. "Don't worry about me, Lea." He smiled at her. "Let us continue on the subject, how did you end up with those wounds? Did someone attack you and did you fell afterwards in the river?"

0000

Lea clenched her fist when she remembered. With her voice shaking from her anger and a little bit of fear, she told Conrad what had happened. Conrad was quietly listening, but at the end of the story he couldn't contain all of his anger. "Those people!" Thankfully, he was able to hold his rage back.

"But what did they want with you?" He asked after a while.

Lea shrugged. "I would like to know that as well. Those mysterious voices and me being able to travel through the portal..." Lea sighed. "Too many questions are left unanswered."

"By the way, Conrad, where in Shin Makoku are we?" Before Conrad could answer, the door flew open. A drenched Yozak came inside. He quickly closed the door and blocked it with his body.

"Good, you are awake." He said as he saw Lea.

"What happened Yozak?" Conrad stood up. Yozak turned his face towards Conrad as he answered with a frustrating tone.

"We have to leave, and fast. Some dangerous people are closing. There are too many and it does not sit well with me."

Conrad quickly collected some stuff in a bag and took the black coat of the hook. "What do you mean, it does not sit well with you?" He asked. It looked like Yozak had difficulty describing what he meant.

Lea lifted her upper body a little as she tried to make sense of Yozak his words. "Do you mean, it is like darkness closing in? Like you are not allowed to breath, not allowed to live. As if dead is approaching?"

Yozak starred at her. 'That's it.' He whispered. "That's not good. They are probably after our little princess here." Yozak looked confused at Conrad.

"Yeah yeah, no time for questions but this girl is Lea, she is Yuri' daughter." Yozak eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly turned his concentration on the outside world again as he murmured. 'You are gonna explain it all when we are safe again.'

Conrad nodded as an answer as he helped Lea don the coat. Lea shrunk from pain when the heavy cloth touched her shoulder, but the worst had yet to come. Lea tried to stand on her legs, but they immediately gave out. Conrad caught her and lifted her up. Lea tried to protest, he would not be able to defend himself this way, but Conrad would not listen.

Yozak slowly opened the door, looked around and sneaked towards the woods. He quickly came back with the horses. With some fast movement, Lea was placed in the arms of Conrad again.

"Please bear with me, Lea." Conrad pleaded. Lea looked up at his face, and nodded. "Don't worry, just get us safe."

A growling sound, backed up by a creepy feeling, came close. Conrad and Yozak didn't think twice when they made their horse run as quickly as they could. The rain was falling without mercy. The darkness of the evening did not make this attempt to escape any easier.

Trusting the pair with all her might Lea concentrated on not screaming from pain as her wounds started to ache. _'No way am I gonna slow us down!'_

* * *

 **Next chapter...**

Lea her wounds have reopened. This time she will not be able to think clearly. Conrad and Yozak are fighting and fleeing as fast as they can to get Lea to safety. Will they be able to escape those pursuers? Will Lea get the medical attention on time? Let us find out how the pair do all they can for our princess.

 **Author's note: This chapter was not easier in the least. Now, I just have to sleep before my I get in trouble with my own father, haha.**

 _ **Firebirdnamedsam, thank you for proofreading my work!**_

 _I would appreciate it if you would support me with reviews that contain constructive criticism or simply compliments. And of course, I will take those reviews seriously! Thank you for reading._


	4. Chapter 3: A leap

**"Faith"**

 **Authors note: Arghhh, the last few days have been a disaster! No Wi-Fi, I had to get sick and to top it off I had to be so stupid to bust my glasses… For a few days, I have to live with my glasses glued together but I can write now at least. :D Let's get started…**

 **Oh, but first the disclaimer (out of respect for those awesome authors)!**

 **~ I do not own _Kyo Kara Maoh!_ ~**

"Talking"

'Whispering'

 _'Thoughts'_

 _~ Mysterious Voice ~_

~ Mysterious Voice ~

* * *

 **Chapter 3: "A leap"**

As they rode at an amazing speed, they were narrowly passing the trees, huddled as much as possible to avoid the branches. 'Crazy ...' grumbled Yozak. He looked back at Conrad, who had Lea firmly pressed against his chest and needed all his skill to keep up with Yozak.

"Watch where you ride Yozak!" Conrad called out just in time. Cursing, Yosak jerked the reins in order to avoid the blackberry bushes.

Conrad shook his head, Yozak focused his mind again to leading the group. Not having to worry about their path, Conrad had the chance to concentrate his senses on their pursuers and the welfare of Lea.

In this dense vegetation, using his sight was not an option, but he could use his excellent hearing. The rustling bushes, stamping and snorting of many horses, grumbling of people and growling of yet to be known creatures sounded close. Also, despite the heavy rain, a smell hung in the air, making breathing tough.

All the sounds you could describe as dangerous became louder, the smell became stronger. The group of horses were nervous, Yozak began losing control.

"Damn it!" Yozak began to frantically tugging at the reins, to no avail. With their ears in the neck the horses suddenly took a turn jumping into the vicious, stinging bushes. "Come on you..."

It just took a few seconds to happen. Yozak clung bewildered to the saddle when his horse took a big leap. Conrad did not see why his friend jumped, but once his horse rode out of the dense vegetation he also clung to his saddle.

Lea felt Conrad suddenly stiffened and almost crushing her when he clung to the saddle. She looked at the direction where their horses spurted to and gasped when she saw Yozak and his horse landing hard on the other, lower side of the cliff. Immediately after his landing Conrad made his horse launch himself and his two riders into the air, hoping to reach the other end of the cliff and to survive the landing.

They floated for a split second. As they were holding their breath it looked like an eternity for the pair. Nothing mattered except surviving the landing. As the ground came closer both knew they were in trouble- the ground was closing in fast, too fast.

With a loud bang the horse crashed into the ground, not able to hold the weight the horse dropped down, throwing the pair into the air. With a loud smack, they hit the ground.

0000

Conrad stood up quickly and turned towards Lea who laid on the ground, not moving. "Lea?" He asked as he bent towards her.

0000

"That hurts, damn it!" Lea whimpered as she tried to move. She felt liquid streaming on her shoulder and leg. It seemed like her wounds had become bigger by the sudden movement and smack. She was dizzy, she tasted some salt of blood in her mouth. Her chest area wasn't quite uninjured, she probably had a few broken ribs.

0000

Even so, there was no time to waste. Their horse had stood up, slightly in panic as it heard and smelled the beasts coming in closer. Conrad lifted Lea up and mounted the horse. No time to worry about wounds, they had to get away! As fast as it could the horse raced after Yozak.

They took off just in time. Their pursuers also had taken the leap to reach the other side of the cliff. Not all made it, but enough to continue the pursue.

As the pair crossed the plain, it didn't take long to join up with Yozak. It seems his horse had taken some damage from the landing. Thankfully his horse was too scared of the beasts pursuing them to give in to the pain.

0000

"This isn't going well, we are easy targets like this!" Conrad pushed his heels furiously in the horse his sides. As he tried to find a way to safely escape he noticed how strong that foul smell had become.

0000

Lea twitched. _'That rotten smell is too close.'_ She thought. Lea looked at Conrad his face, you could see the worry in his face, but he had no time to check on his opponent. 'Then I will fulfill that role.' She carefully maneuvered herself in a position to see the creature. Immediately she regretted her decision.

The rotten smell, the heavy growl. The red eyes, the skin existing of scales. Four meters long, two meters high. Four legs, a long muscular tail. A big head with loads of big, yellow teeth. Sharp claws digging into the ground. A tongue like a snake. Green liquid dripping out of his jaws as the creature came closer.

"Ahh..." Lea was at loss for words. Her whole body tensed up as she realized how dangerous this creature was. And the worst of all, it wasn't the only one!

The creatures came even closer, until the closest one was just six meters away.

The distance quickly shrunk, just five meters away. The pursuers were laughing.

The beasts came closer, now just four meters away. The fear overwhelmed Lea.

Three meters, and the beast took a leap. "Conrad!" As Lea yelled she squeezed her eyes shut.

0000

In the corner of his eyes he saw the big shadow jumping towards them. He jerked the reins, gave a shout and planted his heels as hard as he could in his horse sides. The attack missed them, by just a hair.

The second beast took a leap from the other side. This time Conrad was prepared. He took an evasive course of action. The second attack also missed.

But the beasts did not give up. Three of them closed in. One on the left, one on the right and one from behind. "They are smarter than I expected!" Conrad shook Lea. "Take the reins and hold onto the saddle." He ordered as he pushed the reins in her hands.

0000

Not able to think clearly Lea just did as he asked. She was afraid, she was shaking of fear. Holding onto the saddle was difficult while focusing on keeping the horse on track. Her powers were slipping away as blood was dripping out of her reopened wounds. But Lea knew she could not worry about that, she had to focus on the job given to her. No way she was going to betray the trust that Conrad is giving her.

"Try to get to Yozak's side." He said to Lea, while unsheathing his sword. Conrad braced himself as he heard the right monster growl. With a bang his sword and the monster's claws collided. Trying to support the horse he used his heels to stir it somewhat. Lea also did her uttermost best to support the horse with the reins, her own weight and her words. "Keep going!" She yelled.

With the help of Lea Conrad was able to block the attack completely. They quickly joined up with Yozak. Now the left monster took a leap, this time the monster clashed with him. It was a heavy blow, but he was able to block it. Both monsters on the side growled frustrated and attacked again, this time using their teeth in combination with the claws.

They did not notice the one closing in from behind, not until it was too late.

Yozak and Conrad blocked the monsters from the sides. The growl from behind made the realize the danger.

Yozak saw the monster closing in, but was unable to do something about that one. "Damn it! Conrad!" He turned his hope towards his partner.

But he was also unable to do anything. 'No!' Conrad thought, as he tried to finish his opponent. 'I have not enough time! I just need a few more seconds!'

They would not survive this attack.

They would not have survived this attack.

They would not have survived this attack if Lea hadn't interfered.

The second clash with the monsters made controlling the horse difficult for Lea. The blow was quite heavy, she tried to keep the horse straight, and not to let herself fall of, in order to avoid bumping into Yozak.

She was relived she had managed, but this feeling was for just a second. The growling from behind and Yozak his cursing made Lea her blood turn into ice. She looked over her shoulder and saw the monster ready to strike.

"No!"

Her sight became exceptionally clear, all her attention focused on the incoming monster.

Her body felt like it exploded. Her heartbeat rose quickly. She turned her body towards the monster as much as possible, ignoring the pain and the blood spurting out of her wounds.

Lea acted like she was going to shoot an arrow with an invisible bow. She just acted on instinct, she did not think.

Her eyes lit up, black eyes became cobalt blue. In a split second a bow and arrow appeared, existing of clear, blue energy; the same color as her eyes had become.

She squinted her eyes. With a shout, she released the arrow. It flew at light speed towards the monster, entering his body right between his eyes.

The monster was thrown backwards because of the power of the arrow while it went through his body. The monster slammed into the ground and did not move.

0000

This was the split second that Conrad had needed to finish his side. He had no time to be surprised of the circumstances, just like Yozak had not time for it.

Having thrown of the monster for a bit, and surprising the other pursuers by the monster which had been thrown towards them, they were able to enter some dense woods. They pushed the horses to their limits.

Finally, when the sun had risen and the rain stopped, they slowed down. There was no sound, smell or whatever would indicate an immediate danger. They finally had some time to catch their breath.

Conrad signed. "It seems we lost them." He looked at Lea, wanting to praise her but was topped in his tracks as he saw there was no light in her eyes. Just in time he wrapped his arms around her to stop her from falling from the horse.

Conrad stopped his horse and Yozak came closer. Quickly they climbed down and inspected Lea's body. In horror, they looked at her wounds. Her leg was drained of blood, her wound had reopened and had become twice as large. It was also infected. The shoulder wound had ruptured and was three times larger.

"Lea," Conrad tried slapping the girl lightly on her cheek, "wake up. Lea, please." His words were not heard. The men did their utmost best to stop the bleeding and wake Lea up.

'Not good,' Yozak murmured as he put his hand on Lea her forehead, "Her temperature has risen dangerously high." She needed advanced medical attention, the infection and blood loss would become fatal if left untreated.

Unfortunately, the troubles of our group had not ended. About a mile away, from the direction the group had entered the forest, some men shouted. The pursuers had not given up, on the contrary, they had become more fixated on catching their prey. The ground vibrated slightly as they came closer.

Conrad clenched his fist. It would be dangerous to move Lea, but staying in this location was absolutely no option. They had been not very lucky until now.

0000

"This is getting really troublesome." Groused Yozak as he helped Conrad with Lea as he had already mounted his horse. It was not a favorable option, but the best option for now was to continue fleeing.

Both men placed their hope into Lea, her strength to withstand this peril for just a little longer.

* * *

 **Next chapter …**

Lea is unconscious, the pursuers are closing in. The horses can't go on for much longer, what will happen?

 **Author's note: Now we still don't know if the help will arrive in time for Lea! Will they find safety in the next chapter? Or will they end up becoming prisoners? A short preview this time, otherwise I am afraid I will spoil the next chapter...**

 _ **Firebirdnamedsam, thank you for proofreading my work!**_

 _I would appreciate it if you would support me with reviews that contain constructive criticism or simply compliments. And of course, I will take those reviews seriously! Thank you for reading!_


	5. Chapter 4: Lady Luck?

**"Faith"**

 **Authors note: When I have no inspiration, I tend to look around on the internet for music, pictures, messages or quotes to inspire me. This time I got my inspiration from another source, a program about a vet (seriously!). Also, my chapters have been delayed because I got a new job, so I had to concentrate on that first. Let's get started…**

 **Oh, but first the disclaimer (out of respect for those awesome authors)!**

 **~ I do not own** _ **Kyo Kara Maoh!**_

"Talking"

'Whispering'

 _'Thoughts'_

 _~ Mysterious Voice ~_

~ Mysterious Voice ~

*Sounds*

* * *

 **Chapter 4: "Lady luck!?"**

As the new day dawns, the three travelers resumed their fleeing. This time, they chose a path with clear visibility, in order to prevent a disaster like last night. There was quite a downside to this decision, as their pursuers would also have clear sight. It would be easy to chase the group.

At least, it would have been easier if those dangerous beasts had continued their pursuit.

Conrad looked behind them as he rode next to Yozak. _'Seems like those beasts don't tolerate sunlight?'_ He asked himself. Conrad looked around a little more closely. _'Really, nowhere to be seen. Did they cease the pursuit just after scaring us?'_

It seemed like Yozak thought the same thing as he happily smiled. "Lady luck finally..." But Yozak wasn't able to finish his sentence as his horse suddenly slowed down from a cantering pace to a walk, nearly throwing Yozak on its neck. "Whoa!"

Just like Yozak's , Conrad's horse was also at its limit. No matter how strongly they pushed their heels in the horse's sides, they didn't react.

'Cheered to soon.' Grumbled Yozak, trying to encourage his horse in vain. He looked at Conrad. "And now? Any idea how we get out of this predicament?"

Thoughts raced through Conrad's mind. It was not likely they would give themselves up as they were soldiers and, after all, they were protecting someone. And this someone is a young girl who is supposed to be a princess. But it was also not likely for their pursuers to give up, as they were not adverse to using violence after all!

So, what could they do? It didn't take long for Conrad to decide on a plan. He turned to look at Yozak and whispered. 'This is what we are going to do...'

* * *

If you were one of the pursuers, you would not have expected this. It sure was a childish plan, easy to expect, but you were chasing a few of the best soldiers of Shin Makoku!

No way would you have expected them to split up in this situation. No way would you have expected them to anticipate you were after Lea. On a side note, you would have expected something so simple. But anyway, you did not understand why the horses before you were forced to jump by that man.

At least, you didn't understand it until it was too late.

* * *

With a loud *smack*, followed by more crashing sounds and a lot of cursing, Conrad was sure his plan had succeeded.

Yozak joined them again, smirking. Silently, they continued through the woods. Half an hour later, they relaxed some and slowed down to a mere walking pace.

Yozak grinned. "They were not expecting a rope between the trees! Too bad I had to run before I could see their faces as their horses' noses dove into the ground."

Conrad raised his eyebrow. "Do not cheer too soon. They will not give up after this, they will probably be more enraged than before."

Yozak clacked his tongue as his enthusiasm subsided. "And now? Are we just gonna hide forever?"

"Of course not." Conrad answered. He led his horse to a little stream, allowing the horse to drink and rest a little.

Yozak followed his example and nodded in the direction of Lea. "What about her? Her injuries aren't small."

Conrad did not answer his inquiry. Instead he asked Yozak to scout their surroundings, hoping his guess was right.

While Yozak left on foot, Conrad focused his attention towards Lea. _'She is burning up, but her breathing_ is _quite calm for a sick person.'_ He thought. Conrad wondered about the power of his charge. With this, in combination with her wits, she would be able to assist in a risky escape, but was it worth the risk? Softly he tried to wake her up. "Lea?" Conrad gently shook her a little in his arms. "Wake up, you have to drink something." But she did not react. Not surprising though, she was hurt, had a fever and did not have time to rest comfortably. Even so, staying unconscious any longer would place them at a disadvantage. Just as Conrad began to wonder how to wake her he noticed something weird in his surroundings.

It was really quiet, but how could that be? The only thing he heard was the rustle of the water and the leaves in the trees. _'We are supposed to be chased by a big group of people, it is not possible to be this quiet if they are still looking for us in these woods!'_ Conrad tensed up, concentrating all his senses.

All hell broke loose in just a split second.

A yell warned Conrad just in time. "Behind you from the trees!" With a furious twist of his upper body, Conrad pulled his sword quickly out of his sheath, he was able to block a heavy blow with it.

* * *

Lea heard the whispers of Conrad quite clearly in her sleep. He was asking her to wake up. _'But why did he suddenly stop talking?'_ She thought. With a lot effort, she was able to open her eyes somewhat. Her sight was blurry, but her hearing was perfect. _'Something is wrong, why are the leaves rustling more on that one spot?'_ But Lea was still tired. Her body was sluggish, just like her brain.

 _'Wait a sec.'_ Lea thought as she felt Conrad stiffen. She tiredly concentrated on her sight. Just as she wanted to give up again she noticed something. Something was hidden in the shadows of the tree behind them. _'An animal? No, it's to big...'_ A sudden movement made her realize. ' _This is not the time to be sleeping!_ '

"Behind you from the trees!" He yelled with all her power. Lea felt the impact when Conrad blocked the attack, it just took a second for her to realize. "There are more!" She shouted.

* * *

Just as the attacker tried to swing his sword again, Yozak appeared. He threw the attacker off his horse and quickly mounted his own, he quickly pulled Lea against his body. Both men stomped their heels in the sides of their horses. They were on the run again, but this time the pursuers were prepared.

Before Conrad and Yozak noticed their path was cut off by three archers, the arrows were already released.

Conrad, Yozak and Lea did not get hit, but unfortunately enough, their horses were not as lucky. With a loud *bang*, they collapsed and launched their riders into the air.

The men quickly stood up. The pursuers came in quickly after.

"No time for strategy!" Conrad yelled as he readied his weapon. Out the corner of his eye he looked at Lea. She also stood up quickly, even though she was a little unstable. She was not planning to be an easy target. _'She's got her father's blood, alright.'_ Conrad thought, as he took a deep breath. _'Time to make them regret stopping us!'_

0000

Lea observed the fight. Yozak was taking care of the archers and their reinforcements while Conrad was fending off the attackers that were on horseback. Their skill was amazing. They both blocked attacks from more than one person, attacked the enemies, and kept them from reaching their charge.

Yozak hissed when an archer was able to fire an arrow at Lea. Thankfully, she noticed the danger in the corner of her eyes and avoided it. But the trouble had just begun.

She noticed movement in the woods from both sides. Lea heard the snapping sounds of bowstrings and saw the arrows flying towards her. "Whoa!" Stumbling over her weak legs she was able to avoid the arrows, for now. Another salvo of arrows came at her. This time Lea had to enter the woods to avoid being hit.

Lea looked behind her. "Shit!" She saw the attackers closing in. She had to run, but she would be separated from her protectors!

"Go!" Lea heard Conrad yelling his approval. She didn't need more motivation to run. Stumbling over her own legs and the tree roots, she tried to increase the distance between her and the pursuers. Surprisingly enough she succeeded, even if it was just a little and just for now. Lea heard some of the pursuers clashing with Conrad.

After a few seconds, she had found another path. She would be able to escape if she was quick. But it seemed lady luck still hadn't decided to help her out. Lea stiffened as she heard snorting horses in front of her, their trampling hoofs hitting the ground in a fast pace. The ground shaking because of the quantity of the horses. They were still not in sight, but the idea alone, was enough to make Lea despair. And as if that wasn't enough, she heard some branches break in the tree above her. As Lea looked up a person jumped out of the tree.

"Duck!"

Someone suddenly yelled, but the power in this voice made Lea abide without a second thought. A fire ball hit the person, throwing him a few meters further before hitting another tree.

Infatuated, Lea looked towards the source of the strong majutsu. A white horse came closer, carrying a young man with blond hair. He looked down on Lea. "And who might you be?" He asked.

"Wolfram, don't you think the question – are you alright- would be more important in this situation?" Two other people caught up with the blond man. A man, dressed in dark green, with long, black hair looked at Lea.

"You alright little girl?" He asked. Lea did not have time to answer as Conrad and Yozak appeared some distance behind her, still trying to fend off the attackers.

"Conrad!" Lea shouted, as she saw him fighting for his life.

Conrad delivered a heavy blow to one of his opponents and looked back. He saw familiar faces surrounding Lea. He also saw them preparing to come to his aide. ' _Thank god, the cavalry has arrived!_ ' He thought, as he concentrated again on his fight. "Wolfram!' He called. "Protect her!"

The black haired and silver haired men ran towards the fight, a few soldiers followed them. Wolfram did as he had been told, but it looked like he was not too happy about it. And he did not only look like it, he just had to grumble that he hated babysitting.

But Lea did not get the chance to get angry as Wolfram kneel before her and looked at her bandages. He frowned but ignored it for now. "What's your name?" He asked. As Lea wanted to answer she heard a roar.

"WOLFRAM!"

From the bushes behind Wolfram something appeared. It was a man, he was really big but also ridiculously fast!

 _'Damn!'_ Lea reacted faster than Wolfram, she pushed him to the side and moved her arms quickly, as if she was pulling the string of a bow. A black bow, made of energy, appeared just a little before the blue arrow, also made of some kind of energy. This time Lea was not only acting on instinct, she was aware of her actions. She smirked as she let go of the invisible string. The blue energy arrow hit the man with a lot of power. He was thrown at least ten meters away. With the help of his mates he was carried to safety.

After watching them escape, Wolfram turned surprised towards Lea. "What was that? And your eyes, how..." But he was not able to finish his sentence before Lea completely collapsed, keeping conscious for just a little while longer.

The others joined the duo, Conrad helped Lea sit up for just a little while. Lea looked at the people surrounding her. She knew most of them as they fit the descriptions and drawings her farther made.

Lea grinned as she whispered 'lady luck finally decided to help out.' She winked at Conrad and Yozak, who burst out laughing. After a while Lea relaxed in Conrad's arms.

'Conrad?' She asked softly.

Conrad looked at her. "What is it, Lea?"

Her eyelids became heavy. 'Is it alright if I take a little nap?'

Conrad smiled. "You can sleep as long as you want. When you wake up, everything will be fine. You did well, take a good rest."

She closed her eyes, the world became dark and quiet.

 _'Finally.'_

* * *

 **Next chapter …**

As time has gone by in the Demon World, some things have also happened on the other side. Some bad things, things you would not want to experience, have happened.

 **Author's note: Finally! Lea is safe! At least, for now. She has met the trustworthy but also childish Wolfram, the strong Gwendal and the somewhat weird (but really strong) Gunter. The next chapter will be somewhat different from normal, since we are switching between both worlds. The situation on the other side will make it worth rating this story as mature, even though you probably aren't going to find out in the next chapter what I mean X).**

 _ **Firebirdnamedsam, thank you for proofreading my work!**_

 _ **Howlington**_ _ **, thank you for proofreading my work!**_

 _I would appreciate it if you would support me with reviews that contain constructive criticism or simply compliments. And of course, I will take those reviews seriously! Thank you for reading!_


	6. Chapter 5: ( )

**"Faith"**

 **Authors note: Finally, we are going to read about some other characters. No time to lose! Let's get started…**

 **Oh, but first the disclaimer (out of respect for those awesome authors)!**

 **~ I do not own _Kyo Kara Maoh!_ ~**

"Talking"

'Whispering'

 _'Thoughts'_

 _~ Mysterious Voice ~_

~ Mysterious Voice ~

* Sounds *

* * *

 **Chapter 5: "(...)"**

Just another day at work. People go to their office around eight, take a sip of coffee, talk with colleagues, make reports, take a break, do some work outside the office, return to the office to write reports and finally- go home around five. A normal day you would say. At least, if our man was a normal person.

He is the king, also called Maoh, of a country. His country is named Shin Makoku. It is not _just_ another country, no, this one lays in another dimension which we call the Demon World. His country accepted everyone, human and Mazoku. He had many adventures and made many friends. But a long time ago there was a problem. Somehow the portal between the Demon World and Earth was closed off. It has been twenty years since he had travelled to the Demon World. Now he worked together with his brother Shori, he was the Maoh of Earth. Most of the times he was busy with conflicts between the Mazoku's and the humans here on earth, but he was also working together with Murata to fix the portal.

Today was special. For the first time in twenty years the portal was stable for some time. There was just a small detail causing concern, the stability of the portal was one-sided.

"Why does it have to be so complicated." Murata stared at the numbers on his screen. "It doesn't make sense, why is the portal one-sided? It had never been this way." Murata signed and turned towards the device used for a portal. It was a big bathtub filled with water, with some electrons on the sides and in the water. _'It was easy twenty years ago, we just needed to touch water and we would be able to travel between the worlds. It has never been impossible, the only time we were hindered it was because of Shinou, but I am sure he wouldn't do it again. Or some other, powerful …_

"… human, creature, or mazoku is interfering with it." A voice behind Murata finished his thoughts.

Murata jumped up and turned towards the voice. He signed (sighed) as he saw his friend.

"What?" The man asked as he saw Murata his face. "Don't say you had forgotten I was here too."

As Murata smirked the man threw a ball at him. With a quick reaction he caught it. He laughed a little, but got serious soon after. "So, what do you think about this Yuri?"

0000

Yuri turned his gaze towards the screen. "To summarize what we know: first, the portal has been stabilized. Second, the stability is one-sided. Third, it has been stable for quite a while, enough time for a group of people to travel through. And fourth, the portal has been closed from the other side but the data is different from the last few years. So, we have a lead to start with, isn't it only logical to use it?"

"Yeah, but ..."

The pair was interrupted by a phone call. Yuri took out his phone and sighed as he saw the number.

"Shori." He said. Murata nodded as Yuri answered his phone.

(...)

"Today? But..."

(…)

"Alright alright, I am coming. But afterwards I will go home for a change."

(…)

"Right, see you in an hour." Yuri sighed as he ended the call. "Sorry Murata, it seems a big incident has taken place between two mazoku groups. Have to go." Yuri explained as he packed his stuff.

Murata nodded. "He wouldn't call you on your day of (off) if he didn't really need you. Take care of it and spend some time at home afterwards. I will investigate the matter of the portal."

"Yeah," Yuri said, "Thanks man. See you later!"

* * *

The incident turned out to be rather complicated, but Shori only needed the spirit of his brother and his bodyguards to calm the group. One of the groups had already disappeared, but the other one was waiting for Shori so they could express their frustration and complain.

"They were behaving oddly and asking questions about the mazoku in this world. When we refused to answer they kept pressing us." One said.

"They didn't care about the humans around us, they even began to threaten us!" The second one went on.

"And it didn't end with just a threat, they actually knocked-out ..." The third one continued.

Yuri stood a few meters away, listening to the stories of the men. At first they had attacked them, but with a command from Shori, after he put himself between the group and Yuri, the group was apprehended by his guards. Yuri had just to talk a little with the group in order to calm them. It worked. At least, they didn't use force to express themselves. Now, they were trying to tell Shori what happened.

"Like, they were nobility and we were just pigs!"

"And even though we are not weak, only the kid was able to hit them." The man pointed at the kid he meant. "We were blown away when we tried!"

The kid tried to hide, too late. Shori had already seen him. Before the kid could run, he was already caught by Shori.

"You damn brat, don't run away when you got yourself in such a mess." Shori said as he angrily looked down on the boy.

"But it is not my fault!" The boy angrily shouted.

 _'Oh boy,'_ Yuri thought as he saw the boy, _'he isn't very lucky to get caught at this time and place.'_

"Rieno, how often do I have to tell you to stay out of trouble!?" Shori said angrily. "What if you got hurt! And you were supposed to be at school, weren't you!? And your school marks ..." But before Shori could finish Yuri interfered.

"Nii-san, that's enough. He has made some mistakes but he also tried to help these people, and look at him- don't you think he already understands?" Yuri gently freed the boy from his father's overanxious clutches. "Now Rieno, get in the car and wait for us, alright?" Rieno nodded and whispered a soft sorry to his father and thanked his uncle with a little smile.

Shori took a deep breath and focused his mind on the case before him. "Alright men, tell me exactly how the others looked like and what they wanted to know."

* * *

It took an hour to listen to the group, and it took another hour to get them all home safely. Finally they could go to the office to document this event. Rieno just sat quietly on the sofa, waiting for his dad and uncle to finish.

"Finally!" Somewhat irritated Shori let himself fall down on the sofa. He closed his eyes for a second and sighed. As he heard a clink on the table he opened his eyes. He smiled at the cup of coffee his brother had made for him. "Thanks Yuri."

After sipping from his coffee he turned to his ten year old son. It had been difficult to find his ideal lover, but after giving birth to Rieno she got caught up in a bank robbery. She was shot in the head, Rieno had seen it all happen as a two year old. He had also seen the face of the murderer, it was a woman. Rieno would also have been killed if his cousin, Lea, hadn't interfered. By using her power, she was able to protect him, but it also caused her inability to control her power for the next four years.

Rieno wasn't hurt, but he would not be able to trust women ever again. He would only trust girls below his age, his aunt, and his cousin Lea. His aunt, Yuri and his wife took care of him for a while. After two years, Shori had many relationships, but none worked. He would also train his body in order to protect those dear to him, so he would never lose them again. His son had also become somewhat violent, if you would believe what his teachers said. But truthfully, most of the time he did use violence with a good reason. It was always to protect others, not himself, or his pride. But this made school hell for him.

Shori clacked with his tongue, startling Rieno. "You know, your uncle will go home today. What do you say about us going to visit tomorrow? We haven't seen your aunty and Lea for a while after all. What do you think 'bout it?"

Rieno looked surprised at his father. He smiled as he answered. "Yeah, would be nice dad!"

"Good," Shori smiled, "but you have to finish your homework this evening. And the stuff you would have to do today at school if you hadn't skipped it."

Rieno jumped up and picked up his backpack. He quickly installed himself on his father's bureau and started his homework. He didn't complain, he just focused on his work.

0000

 _'They are somewhat different, but both are hard workers.'_ Yuri thought as he listened to the conversation and saw Rieno focusing his mind on his homework.

"But anyway, Yuri, didn't you say you wanted to be home early?" Shori asked as he looked at the clock.

"Oh yeah," Yuri stood up and collected his stuff, "see you tomorrow." As he picked up his jacked, his phone began ringing.

"What now?" Yuri raised an eyebrow as he picked up his phone.

(…)

"Murata? What is the matter?"

(…)

"I am still at nii-san's office."

(…)

"He is still here, why?"

(…)

"What do you mean, something bad happened?"

(…)

"Wha-what?" Yuri sunk down on the nearest chair. Shori stood up and walked towards him. Yuri continued his call. "How…"

(…)

"N-no, you are kidding right!?"

Rieno looked up from his homework as he heard the panic in his uncle's voice. He looked at his father, but it didn't seem he knew what was going on. The only emotion on his face was worry.

"My wife..."

The alarm bells had gone off in Rieno his head as he looked at his uncles desperate face.

(…)

"And what about Lea!? What about my daughter!?"

(…)

"..." Yuri was not able to say anything as he hid his face in his hands. Shori took the phone and quickly asked Murata about the details. After he heard the story he hung up. He looked from his brother towards his son.

"Rieno." He said. Rieno quickly stood up, as young as he was, he was his father's son. Whatever happened, he would not cave in, he wanted to be there for his family. He wanted to be strong, and he knew now was the time to show how much he had progressed. "Rieno," his father started again, "look after Yuri for a little while, don't let him run off alone. I have to take care of some business."

Rieno nodded. As he saw his father leave the room, dialling a number on his work phone he asked himself what could have happened. It was not something good, and it was about aunty and Lea. Rieno looked at his uncle. _'What kind of event could have taken place to get him this emotional?'_ He thought.

* * *

 **Next chapter …**

We are back in Blood Pledge Castle, Lea will meet Greta. She will also find out about the difficulties as a royal, a princess. As she is recovering she will have to deal with some cases, let us call it 'political issues'.

 **Author's note: I wanted to write this chapter so badly! I had planned it all in my head, but when I finally wanted to write it down it got somewhat … difficult. My adult version of Yuri, as a father and partner, is just as emotional and focused on the right thing as he was in his younger days. In order to make him more adult-like I tried to make him somewhat *ahum* smarter and let him interfere with his brother. Another surprising element (for me at least, hadn't planned it) is the young boy, the son of Shori. Rieno is another one of my own characters, but I have no idea if he is gonna play a major role in this story.**

 _ **Howlington, thank you for proofreading my work!**_

 _I would appreciate it if you would support me with reviews that contain constructive criticism or simply compliments. And of course, I will take those reviews seriously! Thank you for reading!_


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